Universal Truths
by OACrutchfeild
Summary: ML Fandom Week: A collection of one-shots and drabbles for this week!
1. RevealFamily

"Hey, Plagg?"

The black kwami looked up from his cheese, annoyed. "What?"

"I was just wondering..."

"Spit it out kid."

"It's just... well, can you tell me about previous Miraculous holders? I'm kinda curious. You said the stones were thousands of years old, so there must have been others, right?"

Plagg looks down. "Well... yes, but it's not really something I tell my chosen."

"Please, Plagg? I really want to know..."

The kwami gives a long-suffering sigh. "Fine. IF you promise to get me more cheese after this."

"Deal!"

"Sit down, and let me tell you about my last chosen... your Uncle, Félix."

"My Uncle? But I don't have-"

"Are you going to let me tell the story of not?"

Adrien decided to stop talking.

...

Félix got the ring when he was eighteen, and boy, was he a real baby about it. He refused to so much as acknowledge my existence, muttering about "needing sleep" and "did that psycho slip me a hallucinogen?" I did _not_ like him at all, so I did what you sometimes have to do with particularly difficult chosens, and cursed the ring so it wouldn't come off. Boy did I get a tongue-lashing from Tikki for that one, but if you ask me, the kid deserved every bit of bad luck he got.

Anyway, he forced me to tell him how to break the curse. Take a guess what it was: a _kiss_ from the current Ladybug! And let me tell you, it was not going to be easy, especially after their first meeting.

...

"First meeting?"

"Yeah, I'm getting to that."

"What happened?"

...

So, Félix was still freaking out over the whole 'cursed ring that wasn't a hallucination' thing, and when he saw Ladybug... what was it he said? Oh, yeah.

"Who the hell are you, and what do you think you're doing, dangling in midair like an idiot? You're going to break your neck!"

She, understandably, didn't like being called an idiot, and he made things worse the more they spoke, even after she came down. He was a proud cat, that one, and thought he was better than most... the conversation went something like...

"I'm not stupid, you know."

"How should I know that? You haven't yet shown any signs of intelligence."

"Oh, screw you! Where do you get off saying that to my face?"

"Please. Trust me, I know a nut-job when I see one."

And so on. When I told him how to break the curse that evening, you should've seen his face! White as a ghost!

Of course, he went about getting a dozen roses and apologizing immediately, but she was still pretty ticked at him.

That lasted for a few weeks, and I was busy making him as miserable as he made me. I had no idea why he was chosen, see, because he was _not_ worthy. As far as I could tell, he was a dick to everyone, especially this one girl who was completely in love with him... well, maybe 'obsessed to the point of stalking' is a better term. Bridgette, her name was. She was always trying to tell him how much she adored him, how wonderful he was, and a million other things that weren't even close to being true.

However, all the while, he was fighting crime with the Ladybug, who he called his "Queen," let me tell you, you Agreste's have a thing for calling girls you want to impress nobility. And what would you know, he fell. Hard. Pretty soon, he was scribbling his own poetry instead of just looking up which ones would impress her enough to get a kiss, and had a sketchbook filled with portraits of her. He even admitted that if he got the chance to break the curse, he'd probably still put the ring back on, so he could keep protecting her. The kid was almost as disgusting as you are.

...

"I am _not_ disgusting!"

"You are."

"Anyway, Félix sounds pretty awful. Am I really related to him?"

"You are. Trust me, I was as surprised as you are, but how many guys do you know named 'Gabe Agreste?' Aka, Mr. Awfuls's baby brother."

"Why did Dad never mention him?"

Plagg looks down. "Well..."

...

See, eventually, things got… hectic. There was a menace in town, someone who was a lot more dangerous than anything you've seen, who killed hundreds on a daily basis. We didn't know what was going on, but…

Well, Félix and his Queen got closer, as time went on, and pretty soon, she got it in her head to reveal themselves, no matter how much Tikki and I protested. Félix, of course, would do anything she said, although he called it "trust." Always said it in a weird, dreamy kind of way, like it was the most amazing thing in the world, trusting someone. And of course, she turned out to be his stalker, Bridgette, which for some reason, made him love her more and hate himself, even though she, y'know, _stalked_ him, and she had a similar reaction. After they both confirmed that any relationship between the two of them would be unhealthy and extremely problematic, they started making out after battles and doing things I do not want to think about in school.

So at the same time they publicly got together, causing a huge scandal, by the way, Félix began disappearing more and more… conclusions were drawn, and none of them good. The two crazies were losing focus, to boot, and then, Félix made the mistake of publicly protecting her as Bridgette, something that Chat Noir didn't do, but Félix certainly would. Somehow, the man we were fighting drew the right conclusions about who they were, and the kids got themselves kidnapped and thrown in a blimp. That was when I regretted making Félix's ring attached…

…

"What?!"

"Well…" the kwami frowns, and looks down. "They wanted the stones, and they had to… part of his hand… it wasn't pretty."

Adrien looks pale, and like he's distinctly regretting asking.

…

The kids were trying to get out, but Bridgette was taken away to be… well, Félix didn't like that.

He _really_ didn't like that.

Like, more than anything I've ever seen.

He bent _iron_ with his _bare hands,_ Adrien. One of them still bleeding. He got his hands on the earrings and ring, and… well, I'm not sure what happened, but nobody left that blimp alive but Bridgette. He brought it down, gave her a way out, and died making out with his girlfriend, who, by the way, didn't survive long after that.

…

Adrien looked down. "So let me see if I've got this right. The last Chat Noir was a jerk who everyone thinks died from drugs, or a gang or something, and that's why I never knew he was my uncle?"

"Now do you see why it's not something I discuss?"

"Yep."

"Not gonna ask for any more stories?"

Adrien thinks about it. "I might. But definitely not right away."


	2. AUFriends

Everything was on fire and it was all Adrien's fault.

Not that it was a bad thing, far from it. He loved seeing the flames reaching for the sky, wrecking everything in their path, but not caring, just growing, devouring...

"Nice night, isn't it mon Chaton?"

His head snapped around to lock eyes with the silver-clad figure, as she stroked her knife against her cheek in a way he figured she must have found to be seductive. Lady Luck herself.

"Do you like playing with fire, Miss Fortune?"

"Only yours, love," she said, slowly meandering towards him, leaning in for a kiss that he quickly pushed away.

"Not tonight, Lucky."

She pouted at this, folding her arms. "You know, I have guys _begging_ me to date them. Wait too long..."

"And you'll get snapped up by some idiot detention rat?"

"Don't be so insecure, beloved," she giggled, batting her lashes in a way that made Adrien dizzy. "You're still my only."

 _Great..._

The flames rose higher, and suddenly, Adrien heard something he didn't like very much.

A siren.

"Listen, Lucky, I hate to leave you, but the damn firetruck is here, which means the show's basically over. Also, I have school, and so do you. Probably." He honestly didn't know anything about Miss Fortune's normal life, but everyone went to school, right?

"Buzzkill. Fine, but we're still on for the Agreste Manor at dusk, right?"

"Always."

She grinned, and leaped of the building in a graceful backflip. She was undeniably beautiful... but Adrien had his gaze locked on someone else.

As the transformation washed over him, the thick leather jacket and ripped jeans made themselves known. Chat Blanc's persona disappeared, leaving Adrien Agreste, Gabriel Agreste's rebellious disappointment. With a grin, the boy pocketed a knife, and strode into the College Francoise Dupoint.

Three hours late.

He strolled through the hall, and rounded a corner to collide with-

His face split with a huge smile as the dark-haired beauty glared at him, blue eyes cold. " _You,"_ she hissed.

"Indeed, my beautiful Princess," he smirked, grabbing her hand and pulling it up to his lips.

That hand was quickly yanked from his grasp, and became a fist, which collided with his nose.

Laughing, Adrien stumbled back. "That hurt, Princess!"

"It was meant to, jerkass," she smiled sweetly. "I don't have time for idiots like you."

His hand fluttered to his heart. "Your words are so cruel..." He grabbed her, pulling her into a kiss. "But your lips, so sweet."

She looked him in the eye, smiled, and screamed. "HELP ME! PLEASE! SOMEONE!"

Adrien let go instantly, but not before the teacher rushed out of the room and interpreted the situation.

"Mr. Agreste! This is _not_ okay!"

He moaned softly. "Did you have to, Marinette?"

The teacher shook her head. "Of course. Miss Dupain-Cheng. Figures you'd be tied up in this."

She put on doe-eyes instantly, nearly feigning tears. "He was k-kissing me! And I didn't want it! Please, Mme. Bustier, keep him away from me!"

Mme. Bustier sighed. " _Both_ of you, go to the principal's office."

"What? Why me?"

"I doubt Mr. Agreste's nose started bleeding of its own accord."

Pouting, Marinette trudged down the hall with Adrien. "Why were you in the hall, anyway?"

"Cut the first few hours to watch that gnarly fire on the other side of the city, you?"

She frowned. "... Same, actually. I heard Chat Blanc caused it?"

"With Cataclysm to a stick of dynamite."

Marinette smirked. "It sure would be a shame if he decided to hit your house, wouldn't it?"

Knowing that was exactly what would happen that night, Adrien arched an eyebrow. "If that happens, I'm sure my beloved Princess will be right there to comfort me."

"Hmm... with pepper spray, maybe."

They reached the office and entered, smiles playing across both lips.

"Agreste, Dupain-Cheng, I'm shocked. Sit down," the secretary rolled her eyes.

"Thanks, Lucy!" they chorused.

"Mme. Andreas to you two hooligans."

The hooligans in question collapsed on the couch for the hundredth time that year.

Adrien studied the rings on his hands, seven of them, and grinned at the simple silver one that adorned his right thumb. The ring that granted freedom beyond measure. Chat Blanc's ring.

"So, you know you're really not allowed to kiss a girl without permission? Or did you have that shitty an upbringing?"

"I had that shitty of an upbringing," he smiled. "You know that better than most."

"Do you know how pathetic it is that the girl you harass and who beats you up is the one who knows you best?"

He sighed. "Yep."

She looked away, and folded her arms. "So, how are things going with your dad, anyway?"

"I think he's starting to realize that I'm not something he can control. The detentions and suspensions certainly help with that."

"Good. You're getting better at kissing, by the way. Still awful, but better."

"Thanks. Oh, and what about you? Have yours changed at all?"

She shook her head. "Nope. My dad still only cares about my report card and extracurriculars, and my mom still keeps me at an arm's length unless she's pissed."

"Sucks. Think my predatory ways will activate any protective instincts?"

"Worth a try."

They sat in silence for a minute.

"I still hate you."

"I still want you."

She rolled her eyes again. "And you're _never_ going to have me."

"You know, some girls would literally jump off the Eiffel tower for a kiss from me. Wait too long..."

"And you'll get snapped up by some psycho with issues worse than yours? Can't wait."

He was flooded with a sense of deja-vu, but shook it off. "Nah, you're the only one for me."

They were called in, and Adrien offered an arm.

"No way, prettyboy."

That night, he met Miss Fortune at the Eiffel.

"Hey," he said, swinging down.

"Hey, mon Chaton?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we... There's a guy in that house called Adrien, and he's a... friend of mine? Sort of? Whatever, just, can we not hurt him?"

"What, are you a fangirl or something?"

She looked at him, clearly disgusted by the idea. "Ew. No. I'm in love with _you,_ duh. He's just... a classmate. That's all. Look, is it possible or not?"

He raised an eyebrow. This was the first time Fortune asked _not_ to hurt someone... and it was him. And apparently they were classmates.

"Hmm... it's doable. But you know I'll find out who you are at this rate."

"Maybe you will."

They exchanged a wry grin, and with that, Adrien broke down his own door.


	3. Love SquarePowers

So, here's some poetry from Adrien and song lyrics from Marinette. Heavily Love Square, several allusions to powers in Adrien's poem.

 **Who She Is**

She is life incarnate

Singing, laughing, smiling

Everything you could dream of

Everything anyone ever wanted

She is the sunshine

Reaching out to everyone

They bask in her glow

The light and warmth of her spirit

She is hope

The force that lifts the world up

The smile on a child's face

The first blush of new love

But Life cannot exist without Death

Sunshine will be taken by the Darkness

Hope must be balanced by despair

I was destined to be her downfall

But in this human life

We are nothing but what we make ourselves

She is creation

I may be destruction

But while she protects the world

I swear to always protect her, for

She is, first and foremost, to me

My Lady

…

 **Promise**

When we met I had no idea/ what you'd become to me/ just another new face in the same tired crowd/ I just didn't see/ The rain was pouring down/ and you called out my name/ and as we heard the thunder sound/ I ran headfirst to something untamed/

So I promise/ I'll be here to catch you/ if ever you should fall/ and I promise/ I will make you happy/ you deserve it all/ if you see me/ could you tell me/ whether or not you feel as I do/ because I promise/ Adrien I love you/

It's been so long now/ and I can't seem to catch your eye/ probably has to do with how I hide away/ whenever you pass by/ I'm not usually such a mess/ except when I'm with you/ but Prince Charming's got me obsessed/ and he hasn't got a clue!/

So I promise/ I'll be here to catch you/ if ever you should fall/ and I promise/ I will make you happy/ you deserve it all/ if you see me/ could you tell me/ whether or not you feel as I do/ because I promise/ Adrien I love you/

Do you like her better/ the girl I am/ or try to be/ guess it doesn't matter/ red or pink it's still just me/ if you'll take her/ then I guess she's what you'll get/ maybe someday/ you'll love both of us/ but for now I'll take what I can get/

So I promise/ I'll be here to catch you/ if ever you should fall/ and I promise/ I will make you happy/ you deserve it all/ if you see me/ could you tell me/ whether or not you feel as I do/ because I promise/ Adrien I love you/


	4. RelationshipsCharacter Centric

I'm definitely using this to write about the most under-appreciated character we've got: One Auroré Borealé, and her relationship with the magic of Paris... And Mirielle.

 _She's surrounded by wings._

 _They're everywhere, no matter how fast she runs, no matter how far she tries to go, she can't get out of the swarm._

 _Nothing she does can fight them off._

 _They're whispering to her: You should have won, you're better, you're the Queen of it all, they're nothing compared to you, c'mon, are you going to let her humiliate you like that?_

 _No. No! Stop!_

"STOP!"

She jerks up, and slams the switch on her lamp. Her room is flooded with light, and there are no dark wings.

"Just another nighmare... They can't get in here... They can't..." She can't keep her eyes from filling with tears. "Th-they can't control m-me again..."

Shivering, she grabs a bathrobe and turns on her phone.

 _Hey, Mira, u up?_

The reply is almost instantaneous.

 _ **Another nightmare?**_

Auroré has to smile. Of course Mirielle would be on her phone at 2 a.m.

 _Yeah. I just need to get back to reality._

 _ **Hey, I'm here. Want to talk about the dream, or just talk?**_

 _Just talking sounds good._

 _ **Okay. Did you see the new episode of Pixiegirl? Omg.**_

Grabbing at the lifeline Mirielle extends, she quickly responds.

 _I did! Oh my god, the part with the giant flower, did you see his face?_

 _ **LOL, right?**_

The conversation goes on for nearly two hours before Auroré notices the time.

 _We should get some sleep. Sorry for keeping you up, Mira._

 _ **Don't worry about it Rory. That's what they invented best friends for.**_

With a smile, she sends a yellow heart emoji and powers down the phone, collapsing into bed... but not turning off the light.

...

"Auroré, why exactly are the lights in your room all blazing?"

Her eyes slowly open, and the staying up for two hours hits her like a truck. "Nigh'mare," she mutters. "Lemme sleep, pleeeaaase."

Her mom sighs. "Five minutes."

"Thanks..."

The five minutes pass all too quickly, and Auroré finds herself stumbling around her room, pulling on her typical dress and ribbons, and pulling her hair into pigtails... and what is that silver box doing on her desk because that was _definitely_ not there last night?!

"Mom!"

"What?"

"Did you put a silver box on my desk?"

"It must have been your father! Don't worry about it right now, we need to get you to school! Are you having breakfast?"

Feeling slightly sick, the blonde girl shakes her head before realizing her mom can't see her. "No thanks! I don't feel so great."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Mom!"

Grabbing the box and tucking it into her bag, she races out to the kitchen. "Ready!"

"Can you feed the dog?"

"Sure, Mom."

After doing so (and quickly washing her hands), she hops in the passenger seat of the car, and pulls out her cell.

 _U up Mira?_

 _ **Already at school. B/c I'm perfect. ;P**_

"Put that away, Auroré, you're completely addicted. You're going to see Mirielle in ten minutes, can't you wait?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just let me send this last text."

They pull up to the school, and Aurore dashes in, just as the warning bell rings. Sliding into her seat beside Mirielle, she remembers the silver box.

"Hey, Mira?"

"Yeah?"

"I have something weird. Can I show you at lunch?"

With a sweet smile that Auroré recognizes as her friend's "trouble-making" expression, Mirielle nods.

Then the bell rings, and class begins.

...

When lunch _finally_ comes, Mirielle drags Auroré to the back of the school courtyard, behind a few trees.

"Show me! Show me!" she chants. Even her voice sounds innocent and angelic.

"Okay, okay!" Auroré laughs, pulling out the box. "This just, like, showed up on my desk this morning. My mom says she didn't put it there, and I know my dad didn't, since if he came in my room while I was asleep, he'd have turned out the lights."

"That _is_ weird. What's in it?"

"I dunno, haven't opened it yet."

"Well, open it!"

With a grin, the blonde slowly lifts the lid, trying to preserve drama...

And it starts glowing.

"HOLY SHIT!"

She drops it and jumps in front of Mirielle, hoping to at least protect her friend from whatever bomb someone somehow planted in her room...

But instead of an explosion, the light fades to reveal a comb.

"... Well. It'd certainly be cute on you."

"Shut up, Mira, this is really weird! Are you actually not freaked out by the magic glowing light?"

"Um... not really? C'mon, we've both seen weirder. Try it on! I want to see if more freaky magic happens!"

"No way! I... I'm not just gonna... what if I get possessed again? I can't risk that, Mira. You know I can't!"

"It's not an akuma. And if it looks like something bad is going on, I'll take it out of your hair. I promise, I'm not going to let anything like Clima- like you-know-who happen again."

Aurore looks at the comb, tentatively. "Take it out as soon as I start acting weird?"

"I will. Promise."

With a deep breath, she reaches down, and undoes her hair, before twisting it back and placing in the comb.

Instantly, the box starts glowing again, only this time, when the glow fades, there's a giant bee-thing floating in midair.

"Mira, are you seeing this?!"

She nods.

"A giant bee-creature-thing. Holy shit, please tell me I didn't just get a deluxe akuma..."

"I'm NOT an akuma! I'm a kwami! And why, WHY did you open the box with another person? That's not how this is supposed to go! This was supposed to _bee_ a secret!"

"It's talking," Auroré murmurs, grabbing Mirielle's arm. "Mira the bee-creature-thing is talking."

The 'bee-creature-thing' in question rolls her eyes and gives a long-suffering sigh. "Look, do you want to be a superhero or not?"

"What?!" the girls chorus.

"My name is Vimma, and I am a kwami. I'm from the same group that helped make the Ladybug and Chat Noir. As Papillon gets stronger though, we've decided they need help. That's where you come in."

Auroré shakes her head. "I can't be a superhero. I... I couldn't fight off the akuma, when it came for me. I just..." Tears begin coming. "I just let it take me."

"Did you know you're the only akuma victim to date who even tried to fight it off when it came? Only one other tried to fight at all, and that was after the fact. He's being offered one of these too, so I won't tell you his name. Bad enough that your friend here knows about all this..."

Shaking her head, Auroré looks up. "Nobody else saw the giant butterfly about to turn them into a monster and thought, 'Hey, I don't want to destroy the city, get this thing away from me,' except for me?"

"You'd be amazed how many people get so caught up in their feelings, they don't even realize what's happening."

"I dunno..."

"Rory, take it."

She turned to her friend in surprise. "What? Why?"

"This is your chance to prove that the akuma can't control you anymore. You can _fight them,_ Rory, and help people who were hurt the way you were. Also, I can't think of anyone better to be a hero."

Shaking her head, Auroré smiles. "This is crazy... but yes. Why not, right?"

...

A week later, Hornette makes her first appearance, a huge smile on her face, and Mirielle can't help but show everyone the pictures of the new hero, even if she can't tell anyone who she is.

Her best friend.


	5. Miraculous HoldersSecrets

Okay, I'm doing a (kind of) continuation of yesterday's that can be read as it's own thing.

Sometime's, he thinks, it's strange to live two lives like this.

Okay, maybe more than sometimes.

It kind of hurts, too. The more people show up with stones, the more real friendships he forms, and the more he realizes how much his normal life is missing. Sure, he has Nino, and don't get him wrong, Nino is the best friend a guy could ask for, but…

Secrets.

They're everywhere in his normal life. He's been lying to Nino since they met. He lies to his Father all the time. Everyone has to be held at an arm's length. It's all so hard, bordering on impossible, and it's not like he's exactly had much room to hone his social skills.

With Ladybug, it was always different. There was trust there, an incredible trust that he'd never really felt in anyone since his mom left. Of course love followed. She was the first person he felt like himself around, in years. He would do anything for her, and he knew he could really count on her.

When the newbies started turning up, he wasn't ecstatic. He was terrified that this would be another Volpina incident, or that it would screw up the most important dynamic he had… but eventually, Roi Paon was the first of the new kids to win him over with his brand of sarcasm, strangely observant and seriously funny at times. Not to mention that the red haired hero seemed to be completely disinterested in messing with him and Ladybug.

Hornette took a bit longer to come around to. The girl wasn't exactly friendly at first, very quiet, and very cold. As time passed, though, she began to defrost, and even if they'd never be close, he had to count her among his friends. They even had a few things in common, like anime, and expectations, although he was relatively sure his were a bit higher.

Then the real Volpina came around, and he knew, _he knew,_ that this was _not_ someone to get on the bad side of. She was smart as a whip and twice as fast, and very adamant about learning all she could. She quickly won him over through sheer enthusiasm, and he was pretty sure that this was one redhead that he knew the identity of, even if he'd never try to confirm it.

Then there's Papillon.

The only true Miraculous holder who he'll never count as a friend.

Doesn't matter.

The point is, these are people who he can trust, but can't see. The double life puts up this huge barrier that seems, to him, nearly insurmountable.

"Brooding again?"

He turns his head to see his Lady, smiling down at him.

"No… yes."

"Chaton, if you need to talk…"

He smiles, and gets up. "I'm fine. It'll work itself out eventually."

"If you're sure?"

He shakes his head. "As long as we're partners, I'm fine."

Even if the secrets were eating away at him, bit by bit.


	6. Free For All

He's thrown back by the akuma, and hears the crack as he hits the wall.

"Chat!"

She's by his side in a split second, holding him.

"My Lady... get out of here, I'll hold it off..." he tries to get up.

"Chat, stop. You can't..." her eyes glisten as she looks down at him. "You'll get yourself killed."

"I don't care. Please, I love you..."

She kisses his cheek softly. "I promise, I'll come back, Chaton."

And she's gone, running to the akuma, leaving him behind.

He pushes the pain out of his head, and forces himself to stand, trying to follow, but on broken legs, he can't catch her, no matter how much he fights, how many times he forces himself up.

He can't get to her in time.

The blast of light from the explosion shines over the city.

...

When he wakes up, his Father is watching over him.

"Where is she?" he whispers.

"You mean Ladybug?"

"Yes. Please. Where is she?"

Gabriel Agreste shakes his head. "They don't know. I'm sorry, Adrien. They haven't found her."

The words leave an emptiness in his chest. His cheeks ache, and his ribcage burns. Even his eyes sting. Everything just dully hurts. She's missing. It's almost worse than dead, since he knows, he _knows_ that the hope is almost certainly false, but he can't grieve, he can't think she's...

It's _Ladybug._ She'll come back. She promised.

...

It's been a year since she disappeared. Everyone knows the secret he once guarded so carefully. Everyone knows why he won't stop searching.

He can't go near the Eiffel anymore without nearly breaking down. Simple words can pull at memories that leave him feeling numb and empty, with a sharp pain at his chest.

It's not like he's stopped living. After his injuries healed, he went back to his lessons... and to the fight against the akumas. He tries to focus on anything he can, but it's always there, tugging at the back of his mind. He hasn't laughed, really laughed, since she left, and any time he gets even a trace of where she might be, he drops everything and investigates until there's nothing left to search. He's long since figured out who he's looking for, and it was confirmed by the old man who gave them the stones.

He can't bring himself to give up, no matter how much he knows, somewhere inside, that he's not going to find her. Not alive.

On the anniversary of her disappearance, he goes to the part of the city where it happened. It was rebuilt, of course, after everything. There was no reason it wouldn't be. The Miraculous Cure may not have been around, but construction teams still were.

"Where are you?" he whispers. "Are you still here, somewhere? Or...?"

He stops, and shakes his head. She's not gone forever. She'll come back. He'll find her. She promised.

So what if his instincts are calling his lie? There's no proof she's gone... no body...

...

It's been two years, and Hawkmoth was caught.

"Father...?"

The icy blue eyes offer no answer.

"You... you were..."

"I was."

"Even after you knew it was your own son you were fighting, even after she... she..."

"Adrien..."

"Don't. I'm never going to forgive you for this."

He leaves the room, shaking with anger and pain. The only parent he had left is gone. He was never really there to begin with. As he steps out, he's nearly mobbed by reporters.

"So, how does it feel to be targeted by your own father?"

"Did you know who you were fighting before this?"

"Will this arrest lead to any new information concerning the disappearance of Marinette Dupain-Cheng, better known as Ladybug?"

The last question is what grabs him.

"I... I don't know."

"Get out! Leave him alone, he's a child who just went through something incredibly traumatic, have you no shame?"

He looks up to see Nathalie, eyes blazing as she turns away the reporters.

"Thanks," he whispers, once they get into the car.

"Of course. And, Adrien?"

"Yes?"

"There was, actually, information concerning Miss Dupain-Cheng. He said that, if she's alive... she probably won't have her memories."

He's caught off guard, and shakes his head slowly. "No..."

"I'm sorry."

...

He stands at the edge of the clearing, face carefully blank.

"So they found you then."

There's no response, not that he expected one.

"Do you know how long it's been? Since you went missing?"

The wind whistles through the trees, and his façade of calm nearly cracks, as he's hit with the agony again.

"Th-three years, three days, and five hours. I didn't know if you were... I didn't know. But I never stopped looking."

He takes a few steps forward, and reaches out, before letting his hand collapse at his side.

"I told you I loved you. I still do. I think I always will."

In the distance, lightning strikes. The thunder shakes the ground, and the rain begins falling.

He can't stand it.

"Please, look at me! My Lady, Princess, _Marinette,_ I need you please come home, please..." he drops to his knees, tears streaking his face. "Please, come back, you promised you would, I miss you. I just need you to be okay. I'll do _anything,_ if you never want to see me again, then I'm gone, if you want me to stay with you, I'll be here forever, just please, please!" He's a sobbing mess on the ground. "I love you..."

He cries for what feels like forever, as the rain pours. Suddenly, though, it stops hitting him.

He looks up, and sees an umbrella held over his head.

"I don't break my promises, Chaton."


End file.
